Magazine for automatic firearms



A ril 21, 1970 J CERMAK ETAL 3,507,186

MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed June 29, 1967 3 Sheeis-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Jiri CERMAK BY Bolnuslow NOVOTNY mm 0 m Meir Afi'orney April 21, 1970 J. CERMAK ET AL MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1967 V: s W MKW. Y M O m M r m N .o N VAV &0 A i wwm .m 1m

0 1| J W Y B April 21, 1970 J. CERMAK ET AL 3,507,186

MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed June 29, 1967 3 SheetsSheet 5 INVENTORSI' Jim CERMAK BY Bohuslow NOVOTNY Wm 0. m

flnir Afforney 3,507,186 MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Jilin Cermak and Boliuslav Novotny, Brno, Czechoslovakia, assignors to Vyzkumny a vyvojovy ustav Zavodu vseobecnecho strojirenstvi, Brno, Czechoslovakia Filed June 29, 1967, Ser. No. 650,029 Int. Cl. F41d 9/02 US. Cl. 89-34 Claims 'ABSTRACT OF' THE'DISCLOSURE A magazine, for belted ammunition, with an open mouthpiece, a rotatable feeder with a ratchet wheel and a starwheel, which is turned periodically by a rocking lever engaging a helical groove in the breech. The belt is guided by a guideway permitting also the discharge of the empty belt. The feeder may be driven by a feed wheel whose studs cooperate with two grooves in the breech, actuating the feed .in two consecutive intervals. The magazine is secured by a pin forming the axis of rotation of the feeder, to ensure correct positioning of the cartridge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a magazine for automatic firearms, in which the cartridges are accommodated in a cartridge belt.

Agreat variety of magazines for automatic firearms .are known at present, such as box-type, segment type,

drum-type and the like magazines. A pre-stressed magazine spring or a mechanical impulse imparted by the firearm mechanism is used for feeding the cartridges to the :cartridge chamber. Further known is a revolving rifle magazine, comprising a drum, carrying a starwheel with a blocking cog wheel, the teeth of the starwheel being adapted for engagement with a groove arranged in the breech cylinder and the blocking cog wheel being adapted for cooperation with a spring dog mounted in the casing of the revolving rifle magazine.

A disadvantage encountered in some of these magazines is the limited, relatively small number of cartridges, which can be accommodated in the magazine, as well as its relatively large dimensions, caused by the necessity of providing sufficient space for the follower spring. Otherrnagazine types, on account of their complexity, are not only expensive to produce but also highly vulnerable,,as a slight damage or deformation of their working surface, may impair the correct operation of the magazine. The above-mentioned revolving rifle magazine is disadvantageous, as upon closing of the breech mechanism, the cartridge is only pushed nearer to the cartridge ,chamber and not until the breech mechanism is opened and retracted, is the cartridge brought into the feeding path under the action of the spring dog engaging said blocking cog wheel, so that the cartridge is not fed into, the barrel until the breech mechanism is closed again.

. Known magazines are fixed in the firearm in various ways. One well known way of fixing is effected by means ofqtwo lugs, on which the, magazine is hinged, one of the lugs being secured by a spring-loaded catch. It is further: known to fix the magazine in the firearm by inserting itinto a guide tunnel, the correct position of the magazine being secured by a spring-loaded catch.

A disadvantage of known arrangements for securing themmagazine in the firearm resides in the fact that the position of the cartridge in the feeding space relative to the cartridge chamber of the barrel is influenced to a considerable extent by the relatively large manufacturing a, hired States Pat 0 ice tolerances, and this can have an adverse effect on the operation of the firearm. None of the known arrangements utilizes any of the operative parts of the magazine for securing the correct position of the latter in the firearm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a magazine for automatic firearms capable of accommodating a considerably larger number of cartridges than the magazines heretofore known, and" moreover to utilize for the accommodation of cartridges the space occupied in known magazines by the follower spring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a magazine for automatic firearms in which the surfaces of parts protruding from the gun are not operative surfaces. This is made possible by the provision of a belt connecting the cartridges. It should be noted that in spite of using this known connection of individual cartridges on a belt, the new magazine retains the main advantage of most magazines, i.e. after the magazine has been inserted into the gun, the first cartridge will be in line with the cartridge chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a magazine, for automatic firearms, in which some parts of the feeding mechanism can be dispensed with.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a magazine for automatic firearms which can be secured on the gun in a simple and easy manner in such a position as to bring the leading cartridge into exact relationship with the cartridge chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide a magazine for automatic firearms in which an operative part of the magazine, i.e. the feeder pin, forming the axis of rotation of the feeder is used for effecting a correct positioning of the magazine.

The present invention provides a magazine, whose open mouthpiece contains means for guiding the cartridge belt and means for preventing the return movement thereof. Moreover, the breech mechanism may be provided with a main and an auxiliary feeding cam for turning the feeder with the cartridge belt through one pitch of cartridges during two consecutive intervals.

A spring-loaded magazine catch can be provided, the smaller end of which cooperates with a nut member rigidly mounted on a shank portion at one end of a spring-loaded feeder pin, forming the axis of rotation of the feeder, while the other end of the feeder pin engages a corres onding opening in the magazine and in the gun receiver, and the end face of the feeder pin is adapted for cooperation with a projection on a releasing lever, pivotally mounted on the receiver of the firearm.

In the following description those forms of the invention will be outlined in full, which are selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate diagrammatically several embodiments of the magazine incorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 1 is a partial longitudinal section through the magazine inserted in the firearm,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross-section through the magazine,

FIGURE 3 shows a detail of the magazine, comprising a rocking lever with a dog and a starwheel,

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-section through another exemplary embodiment of the magazine,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a further embodiment of the magazine, inserted into the firearm,

FIGURE 6 is a plan view showing the feeding curves provided on the breech mechanism,

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the magazine according to FIGS. and 6, taken on line VII-VII of FIG. 5, and

FIGURE 8 shows a partial longitudinal section of the magazine inserted into the firearm and secured in position by improved locking means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I Referring first to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it will be seen that the magazine comprises an open mouthpiece 1, detachably secured to a box-shaped casing 2. The attachment of the open mouthpiece 1 to the casing 2 can be accomplished by any known connection means, such as eyelets 3 and pins 4. Mounted for rotation in the open mouthpiece 1 of the magazine is a feeder 5 with two flanges 6, provided with teeth 7 (FIG. 2), seats 8 for cartridges 9 being arranged between said teeth 7. One end of the feeder 5 carries a ratchet wheel 10, which is subject to the pressure of a spring 11, mounted on the shaft 12 of the feeder 5. The opposite end of the feeder 5, outside the open mouthpiece 1, is rigidly coupled to a starwheel 13. Behind the feeder 5, in the direction of its rotation, the open mouthpiece 1 is provided with a guideway 14 along which the empty cartridge belt 15 is discharged from the magazine. When the magazine is inserted in the receiver 16 of a fire arm (FIG. 1), where it is secured e.g. by a spring-loaded catch 17, the starwheel 13 is in engagement with a rocker lever 18 through a dog 19 (FIG. 3), forced into engage ment with the starwheel 13 by means of a spring 20. The rocking lever 18 is pivotally mounted by means of its pin 21 in the receiver 16 and is provided with a roller 22 engaging a helical groove 23, arranged in the breech 24, which is slidably housed in the receiver 16 of the fire arm. The cartridge having been fired, the breech 24 recoils in the receiver 16, for example under the action of the explosion of powder gases. The helical groove 23 imparts a rocking motion to the rocker lever 18, which causes the starwheel 13 to turn along with the rigidly connected feeder 5 through one pitch of the cartridge belt 15. Simultaneously with the rotation of the feeder 5, the ratchet wheel is rotated by one tooth, whereby the cartridge 9 is secured in its loading position i.e. in alignment with the cartridge chamber 25 of the barrel 26. During forward movement of the breech 24, its front wall (not illustrated) pushes the next cartridge 9 from the cartridge belt into the cartridge chamber of the barrel 26. Hereupon the above described cycle is repeated.

Another exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. The mouthpiece 1 of the magazine is equipped with a guideway 27 for guiding the cartridge belt 15 along the open mouthpiece 1 of the magazine. Mounted for rocking movement on the guideway 27 is a spring-loaded latch 28, which extends therethrough and engages the cartridge belt 15. A double-arm lever 29 is pivotally mounted on a pin 21 in the receiver 16 of the fire arm, one arm of the double-arm lever 29 carrying a roller 22, which engages a helical groove 23 provided in the breech 24, while the other arm supports a springloaded feeding pawl 30 engaging the cartridge belt 15.

After firing, when the breech 24 recoils, the doublearm lever 29 is rocked by the action of the helical groove 23, with the result that the cartridge belt 15 is advanced by feeding pawl 30 through one pitch of the cartridge belt. During this movement the cartridge belt 15 slides over the latch 28, whichafter the cartridge belt 15 has been fully advancedsecures the next cartridge 9 in loading position and, simultaneously, prevents the backward movement of the cartridge belt 15 during the forward movement of the breech 24 which engages the cartridge 9 and feeds into the cartridge chamber 25 of the barrel 26 and causes the spring-loaded feeding pawl 30 of the double-arm lever 29 to slide over the next cartridge 9.

An alternative embodiment of the magazine according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

The open mouthpiece 31 of the magazine is detachably connected to the box-shaped casing 32, similarly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for instance by mean of eyelets 33 and pins 34. The feeder 35 is provided at its periphery with seats 36 adapted to accommodate cartridges 37 and is rotatably mounted in the mouthpiece 31 of the magazine. One end of the feeder 35 is equipped with a starwheel 38 cooperating with a spring dog 39, which is pivotally arranged in the open mouthpiece 31*of the magazine. The opposite end of the feeder 35 is rigidly connected to the feed wheel 40 carrying at its outer circumference feeding studs 41. Beyond the feeder 35, in the direction of its rotation, the mouthpiece 31 is provided with an opening (not shown) for the removal of the empty cartridge belt 42 which, if required, can also be fed back into the casing 32. With the magazine inserted in the receiver 43 of the fire arm (see FIG. 5) where it is held against accidental displacement, for instance by a spring-loaded magazine catch 44, the feeding studs 41, provided at the outer periphery of the feed wheel 40, enter the path of the breech mechanism 45, which is slidably housed in the receiver 43, where they alternatingly enter into engagement with feeding cams 46, 46' provided in the breech mechanism 45 (see FIG. 6), and defining grooves for the studs.

It will be noted from FIG. 7 that the starwheel 38 is provided with lugs 51, each having two steps, an outer 51' and an inner 51". During the first part of the feeding movement taking place when the breech recoils, i.e. during travel of the feeding stud 41 in the longer groove 46, the starwheel 38, together with the feeder 35 and associated parts will be turned (in anti-clockwise direction according to FIG. 7) until the spring dog 39 engages the outer step 51', which is the position shown in FIG. 7.

Having been released from its rear position, the breech mechanism 45 travels in the receiver 43 forward, being urged by the compressed recoil spring 47 toward the barrel 48. In the course of this movement, the breech 45 expels with its front wall 49 the cartridge 37 from the cartridge belt 42, pushing it into the cartridge chamber 50 of the barrel 48. Shortly before the breech 45 abuts against the barrel 48, the shorter or auxiliary feeding cam 46, provided on the breech 45, causes a slight angular displacement of the feeder 35 by means of the corresponding feeding stud 41, with the result that the dog 39 engages the inner step 51" of the lug 51, provided on the starwheel 38. The feeder 35 is thereby prevented from return movement. After the shot has been fired, the breech 45 recoils in the receiver 43, for example under the effect of powder gases. During this recoil movement, the next feeding stud 41 engages the longer one of the two feeding grooves, i.e. the main groove marked 46, thereby accomplishing a further turning of the feeder 35, with the result that the dog 39 engages the next lug of the starwheel 38, again preventing the feeder from returning and displacing the belt 42. The sum of both angular displacements performed by the feeder 35 corresponds to the travel of the cartridge belt 42 through one pitch between the cartridges 37. The described cycle is repeated.

As already stated, the magazine incorporating the present invention can be secured in the fire arm in such a way that the position of the leading cartridge is defined more accurately than in conventional magazines. An exemplary embodiment of this arrangement is shown in FIG. 8.

A barrel 52 comprising a cartridge chamber 53 is mounted in a receiver 54 of the fire arm. Further housed in the receiver 54, facing the cartridge chamber 53, is the magazine 55 with its feeder 56 mounted on a feeder pin 57, which forms the axis of rotation of the feeder 56. Said pin 57 is loaded by a spring 58, positioned on a shank portion 59 of the pin 57, in a cylindrical cavity, 60 provided in the feeder 56. One end of said spring 58 bears on a cross-piece 61, its opposite end on a nut member 62, rigidly fixed to the shank 59 of the feeder pin 57. The receiver 54 houses a catch 63, adapted to engage with its shoulder 64 a corresponding opening in the magazine 55, when the opening is in register with the cylindrical cavity 60 of the feeder 56. The catch 63 is loaded by a spring 65, hearing with one end on a slidable plug 66,1whose axial movement is restricted by a pin 67. The plug 66 can serve as a catch for other components of the fire arm, e.g. for the for end (not shown) or the like. A releasing lever 68 is mounted for rocking movement in the receiver 54, adjacent the rear end of the feeder pin 57. A projection 69 of the releasing lever is adapted to engage the end of the feeder pin 57.

When the magazine 55 is out of the receiver 54, both endsof the feeder pin 57 are flush with the walls of the magazine 55, the spring 58 forcing the feeder pin 57 against the cross-piece 61. On insertion of the magazine 55 into the receiver 54, its inclined surface 70 strikes first against the shoulder 64 of the catch 63, which, being loaded by the spring 65, protrudes from the receiver 54. During further movement of the magazine 55, at the moment when the nut member 62 comes into register with the shoulder 64 of the catch 63, the shoulder 64 enters the corresponding opening 71 in the magazine 55, being urged by the spring 65, which is stronger than the spring 58. The opening 71 in the magazine 55 being in line with the cylindrical cavity 60 of the feeder 56, the feeder pin 57 is shifted in the direction away from the cartridge chamber 53. The feeder pin 57 thus enters a corresponding opening 72 in the receiver 54 adjacent the projection 69 of the releasing lever 68, whereby the magazine 55 is fixed in the receiver 54. If it is desired to take the magazine 55 out of the receiver 54, the releasing lever 68 is depressed, so that its projection 69, hearing against the end wall of the feeder pin 57, shifts the latter in the direction to the cartridge chamber 53, against the action of the spring 65, until the surface 73 of the feeder pin 57 bears against the cross-piece 61. At this moment, both ends of the pin 57 are flush with the end walls of the magazine 55, which can be readily taken out of the receiver 54.

The magazine according to this invention as well as the means for securing the same in the gun can be used in connection with the majority of automatic fire arm types.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the invention, that others can by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications. Such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A magazine for automatic firearms of the type which have a barrel and reciprocally movable breech bolt means, capable of storing belted ammunition and feeding it to the loading space of the firearm, which is in axial alignment with said barrel from whence the loading cartridge in said belted ammunition is adapted to be engaged by said breech bolt means and directly transferred into a ready to be fired position in said barrel, comprising in combination:

(a) a magazine casing for accommodating a belt carrying cartridges;

(b) said magazine having an open mouthpiece connected to said casing and adapted for insertion into said firearm, said magazine and mouthpiece being removably connected to said fire arm;

(c) feed means operatively mounted in said mouthpiece for guidingly moving the cartridges along a feed path from the easing into the loading space so that the leading cartridges in said belt are successively aligned with said barrel, and

(d) means for preventing the return movement of the cartridge belt operatively mounted in said mouthpiece, the latter two means cooperating with said breech bolt means during the recoil movement thereof so that said breech bolt means can successively move the loading cartridge directly from said loading space into said barrel during the movement of said breech bolt means; and

(e) means operatively connecting said feed means to said breech bolt means.

2. A magazine as in claim 1, wherein said feed means comprise a rotatable feeder mounted in said open mouthpiece and a spring-loaded ratchet-wheel connected to said feed means and forming said means preventing return movement, the feed means being adapted for actuation by the breech bolt means of the fire arm.

3. A magazine as in claim 1, wherein said feed means comprise a guideway following substantially the form of the open mouthpiece in a section between the entrance of the cartridge belt in the mouthpiece and the loading space of the fire arm, said guideway being positioned in this section at such a distance from said mouthpiece as to allow the passage of the cartridge accommodated in a link of the cartridge belt, and beyond said loading space at a distance allowing the passage of the empty cartridge out of the magazine, said open mouthpiece being provided with a spring-loaded and pivotally mounted latch engaging at least one link of the cartridge belt.

4. A magazine as in claim 1, wherein a spring-loaded catch is arranged in the firearm, a spring-loaded feeder pin in the magazine having a shank portion, a shoulder of the catch being adapted to enter a corresponding opening in the magazine and to engage a member rigidly secured to said shank portion provided at one end of said spring-loaded feeder pin, which forms the axis of rotation of said feeder means, the opposite end of said feeder pin being adapted to enter a corresponding opening in the receiver of the fire arm and the end face of the feeder pin being arranged for cooperation with a projection of a releasing lever pivotally mounted in the receiver of the fire arm.

5. A magazine for automatic fire arms as set forth in claim 1, wherein said feed means comprise a feeder rotatably mounted in said mouthpiece, a star-wheel coaxially mounted on one end of said feeder, a spring-loaded dog operatively mounted in said mouthpiece and coacting with said starwheel, a feed wheel having a plurality of feeding studs projecting therefrom and being coaxially mounted on said feeder, said breech bolt means having cam means, said plurality of feeding studs being adapted to cooperate with said cam means for turning said feeder with said cartridge belt through one pitch during two consecutive intervals of rearward and forward movement of said breech bolt means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 276,522 4/ 1883 Boch. 1,290,852 1/1919 Sturgeon. 2,793,567 5/ 1957 Kamp 89--33 3,060,809 10/ 1962 Tschumi. 3,136,213 6/ 1964 Reed. 3,221,603 12/ 1965 Lockhead.

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

